


Who Are You

by BearMiya90



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:42:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25586893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BearMiya90/pseuds/BearMiya90
Summary: After waking up from a coma, Nino met a new employee in his company. Nino thinks the new employee is a lunatic because he talked to himself. But, he couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't actually their first meeting and he actually knows the guy.
Relationships: Ninomiya Kazunari/Ohno Satoshi
Comments: 12
Kudos: 20





	1. Chapter 1

Everyone in Japan knew Ninomiya Kazunari. He was the owner of the largest video game company in Japan. His family and friends knew that he was a game-addict since he was small. But, who would expect that Nino would make money from his hobby? 

The idea came from the brilliant mind of his best friend, Sakurai Sho. Tired of listening to Nino’s complaint about the game he played, Sho had suggested that Nino made his own game to be satisfied. To be honest, Sho didn’t expect Nino to take his suggestion seriously. He wasn’t even aware of what he was saying at that time. That’s why he was surprised when Nino resigned from his job and started to make his own game. 

It wasn’t easy in the beginning. But, with his experience as a gamer and knowledge in programming and coding as well as his determination to make people happy with his game, Nino overcame the hurdles and successfully make his company, NeenGames on the top for the gaming industry.

“Nino, you have a meeting with Matsujun at 10 AM. He would like to discuss the concept for the next project with you. That is the only appointment you have today,” informed Sho. Nino nodded his head, noticing that it was only 9 am and he would have an hour to do his routine.

Nino recruited Sho to be his PA/secretary when his business was well received by the public. He loved being a boss and ordered people around but he wasn’t good in management. That’s why he needed Sho’s help. Fortunately, Sho was willing to work with him and one of the reasons his company was on the top now was because of Sho’s management skill.

“Okay,” answered Nino shortly and he stood up, ready to do his routine.

“Where are you going?” Asked Sho. “Game testing?”

Nino nodded his head. Sho didn’t say anything even though he looked at Nino disapprovingly. Nino ignored him and walked to the elevator to go to the Game Testing Department on the third floor. It is his favourite department. He had the chance to play and criticize the games before launching. Well, there weren’t much to complain because his workers knew how meticulous he was. Furthermore, he was involved in the development of each game from the beginning. Each element of the game would need his approval first before moving to the next phase. So, the game would be nearly perfect by the time it reached the testing department.

“I’m busy right now,”

Nino was waiting for the elevator when he heard a soft voice talking. He didn’t recognize the voice, so he wondered if it was one of his employees. But, he prohibited all of the employees from going upstairs. He only allowed Sho and Matsumoto Jun upstairs.

“Later, okay,”

Said the voice once again. It came from the corridor near the washroom so Nino approached the corridor, wondering which employees were daring enough to defy his order. There must be at least two of them.

“I’m working right now. I will go there after work,”

Weird. Nino never heard anyone respond to the voice. It was the same voice talking. Nino was now peeking from the wall and he only saw a short guy talking to himself. He wasn’t talking on the phone because he used both of his hands to push  _ someone  _ away. Based on the stranger’s side profile, Nino was sure he had never seen the other guy before and wondered if he was a new employee or an intruder.

“JUST GO,”

The short guy shouted. Not long after that, as if the person he was talking to had disappeared, he sighed and then turned only to be surprised to see Nino. Nino used the chance to look at the guy properly but he was sure he never saw him before. He was around the same height as Nino. His hair was short and black. He was chubby and a bit tanned. His eyes were almond-shaped. Nino couldn’t help but think how cute the stranger was. Even though Nino didn’t know who the guy was, he seemed familiar. 

“Kazu!” Said the man excitedly as he ran towards Nino and hugged him tightly. Nino didn’t respond to the hug. Instead, he was thinking why the guy acted friendly with him even though it was the first time they met. He even has the guts to call Nino  _ Kazu.  _ He only allowed his family to call him  _ Kazu _ so who gave the permission for the guy to call him that?

“Kazu?”

The guy finally let him go and stared at him with a frown.

“Who are you?”

Asked Nino. The guy was surprised but he immediately recovered as he looked at Nino with a pair of sad eyes.

“I’m sorry. I thought you are a friend of mine. You looked just like him,”

Nino could sense the sadness from the guy as he said that. It was weird. He didn’t know the guy but looking at the sad and disappointed face of the guy, all he wanted to do was to comfort him.

“Ano…” Nino couldn’t continue as suddenly he had a severe headache as if his head was going to explode. He never felt so much pain before.

Everything turned dark after that.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_ I love you, Kazu. _

Nino opened his eyes slowly as he heard the confession. He looked around, wondering what had happened and why was he sleeping on the couch in his office. It took a while but he finally remembered that he was about to go downstairs to do his routine. He remembered waiting for the elevator but he wasn’t sure if he got inside or not. Then there was also a cute stranger who was talking to himself. He wasn’t sure if he really saw the weirdo. Perhaps it was just a dream, Nino concluded.

“I guess Sho was right. You’re not ready to get back to work,” he heard a voice from the table. It was Matsumoto Jun, the creative director of his company. Sitting opposite of him was Sho, who nodded in agreement.

“J, did you just confess to me?”

There were a lot of things Nino wanted to ask Jun but he didn’t know why he asked a totally unrelated question. Perhaps because he heard a confession right before he woke up. He had a crush on Jun and he was hoping that Jun finally responded to his feeling, if it was indeed his voice he heard before. However, he didn’t know why his heart started to crave for someone else now.

Hearing his question, both of his friends frowned as they stared at him.

“Did you… I don’t know…. You hit your head on the floor… Maybe it damaged your nervous system and it sent a different signal to your brain. I’m pretty sure I didn’t say anything that sounds like a confession,”

“Yeah, Jun was right. He didn’t confess to you. Are you okay, Nino?”

“So, I hit my head? How?”

He decided to change the topic before those two thought he was imagining things. Now that he thought carefully, the voice sounded nothing like Jun or Sho. The voice was softer than either of them. It sounded familiar but he didn’t know who the owner was. Trying to think of the owner causing him a headache so he tried to stop thinking about the confession.

“Well, Ohno san came running to my office telling me you collapsed. So, I brought you to the office and let you rest. You’ve been sleeping for three hours. Jun came here for the meeting and seeing that you’re not ready yet, we decided not to disturb you,”

“Ohno san?”

“He’s the new design artist. Been working here for almost a year. He started working here about a month after your accident,”

The accident, Nino thought to himself. About a year ago, he got into an accident and was in a coma until he suddenly woke up two months ago. Today was the first day he got back to work after the accident. Sho had been persuading him to rest longer but two months of staying at home doing nothing was too much for him. Furthermore, each time he closed his eyes to sleep, he would dream of chasing a guy. Nino didn’t know how the guy looked like because he could only see his figure from the back. He needed to distract himself from thinking about the guy. That’s why he decided to get back to work today, ignoring the disapproval look from Sho.

“I thought no one was allowed upstairs except both of you. So, how…”

Nino didn’t finish his question as he watched both Jun and Sho exchanged a look. They were forcing each other to explain the situation regarding the mysterious Ohno to him. But, wait a minute. Was Ohno the stranger he thought he was dreaming about? Sho said Ohno found him collapsed. So, perhaps his meeting with the cute but weird stranger wasn’t a dream at all?

“Was he chubby? He was short and tanned?” Asked Nino to confirm the identity. Both men nodded their head.

“So… What is he doing upstairs? Sho, please explain to me,”

He didn’t miss the look of relief on Jun’s face when he asked Sho to explain to him about Ohno. Sho glared at Jun in return before he started talking.

“Well, as I said before he is the new design artist. He is talented but he is a bit weird. He often spaced out and the other staff often saw him talking to himself,”

Nino recalled his meeting with Ohno earlier. So, Ohno always talked to himself and he wasn’t the only one who had seen that. He didn’t want to hastily jump into conclusion but he was convinced that the guy must be crazy.

“He must be a lunatic. I saw him just now. If he talked to himself the way J did, I don’t mind. But…” Nino risked a glance at Jun who was giving him a murderous look. All of them knew how Jun acted when he was alone at home. He will speak to objects in his room like they are human and Nino loved to make fun of Jun because of that. “He was totally delusional. He acted like there was someone else with him,”

_ And suddenly acted as if he knew me.  _ Nino kept that thought to himself.

“Trust me, Nino. He is not a lunatic. We’ve checked his background before hiring him and he wasn’t in mental institutions,” explained Sho. Nino looked at him sceptically.

“Then why is he talking to himself?” Asked Nino in return. Both of his friends looked reluctant to answer. “I don’t know, Sho. I’m afraid he will cause trouble for us. So, it’s better to get rid of him now,”

“No. Don’t do that,” Jun protested.

“Then give me one good reason why I shouldn’t fire him. If it’s because of his talent, I’m pretty sure we can find others who are better than him,”

“Believe me, Nino. He is the  _ best _ and you will regret to let him go,” answered Jun. “It wasn’t just his talent. He is a good worker, finished his job on time  _ perfectly _ . Never cause any problem for us. He was quiet and focused in doing his work, not interested to join the gossip in the company. So, we hired him because of his talent  _ and _ attitude,”

“Are you sure he is not a lunatic?” Asked Nino once again.

“I understand why you are worried. Actually, we know why he talked to himself. But, maybe it will be better for you to hear it from him. It’s a bit personal,” explained Sho.

Nino remained silent, thinking of what he should do. He didn’t like the idea of talking with Ohno but he was curious to know the reason he talked to himself. He also found it interesting that both Jun and Sho are very protective of Ohno. Is Ohno someone special to both of them? Is he perhaps Jun’s boyfriend? He had a vague memory of Jun telling him that he already had someone prior to his accident so maybe Ohno was the one he meant. That’s why he talked highly about the guy and tried to stop Nino from firing him.

“Are you sure he will not cause any trouble for us?”

Both Jun and Sho immediately nodded.

“Okay, I will let him stay,”

“You’re not going to ask him why he talked to himself?”

Nino shook his head. He had a feeling Ohno wouldn’t tell him the truth even if he asked. Furthermore, he felt uncomfortable talking with Ohno. So, he would just trust his friends’ judgement.

  
  
  
  
  
  


Ohno sighed as he lied down on his bed, thinking of what happened earlier. He acted stupidly just now. There’s no way Nino would remember him.

He missed Nino. He wanted to see Nino so much. So, he went to the top floor, to see Nino even from afar. He knew Nino wouldn’t allow anyone else except Jun and Sho there but he didn’t care.

However… Someone disturb his mission. Why would  _ he _ show up while he was waiting for Nino silently on the corridor? Because of  _ him,  _ Nino thought he was crazy for speaking alone. It doesn’t help that he couldn’t control himself once he saw Nino. He hugged Nino and called him  _ Kazu. _ Of course, Nino would think of him as crazy.

“Riida, are you home?”

Ohno immediately stood up when he heard the familiar voice. The door was opened from the outside and Ohno threw his pillow at the guy. Ohno knew it wasn’t his fault but he desperately wanted to blame the guy who entered his room. He was the one who gave him the idea to see Nino from afar if he missed Nino so much.

“What happened?” Asked the guy. The pillow didn’t hit him. Instead, it went straight to the door.

Ohno didn’t answer him. He simply lied back on his bed and pouted. The guy approached him. With his cold hand, he touched Ohno’s face, wiping the tear from his eyes. Ohno didn’t realize he was crying.

“I’m sorry, Aiba chan,” Ohno apologized to the guy. “It wasn’t your fault. You gave the idea but I’m the one who loses control. I couldn’t stop myself from hugging him when I saw him again. And he looked at me like I’m a crazy guy. It must be because he saw me talking to myself before,”

“Riida,” Aiba smiled encouragingly. “I know Nino. I believe that he will remember you. Whether you believe me or not, he loves you, Riida. He will find his way back to you,”

Ohno only smiled at Aiba. He wasn’t the only who believes that. Even Jun and Sho wanted to make Nino remember him. According to them, Nino had been calling him in his sleep, giving him hope that he was indeed someone special to Nino. He wasn’t sure if that was a good idea. After all, he was the one who pushed Nino away from his life. It serves him right to have Nino forget all about him.

“Aiba,” he felt the need to change the topic. If they continue talking about Nino, he won’t stop thinking about him. “Don’t you want to go home?”

Aiba shook his head.

“I will stay here until Nino come back for you. I don’t want to leave you alone,”

“You don’t have to worry about me. You should know that I would never be alone,”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

Nino woke up early the next morning. He couldn’t sleep after waking up from his dream. He wasn’t alone in the dream. There was someone else with him but he couldn’t see the face. The voice, on the other hand, was similar to the voice of the person who confessed to him in his dream yesterday. Who was this person? Was he perhaps the person he was craving for right now? Why did he feel some part of his memories were lost after he woke up from the coma? Thinking of all of these made his headache came once again so he played Mario kart to distract himself.

He started to get ready for work when he noticed it was almost 8 am. Sho would pick him up later so he better get ready now. His friend didn’t trust him to drive the car. That’s why he offered himself to be Nino’s driver.

“You looked terrible. Did you sleep yesterday?” Asked Sho when he opened the car’s door.

“I slept but I woke up at 4 am. I couldn’t sleep after that,” answered Nino. He wanted to point out that Sho looked equally miserable... but... better not. He knew Sho went home late every night because he visited a hospital. He didn’t know the details but apparently, a friend of Sho was in a coma and Sho visited him every day, hoping that one day he would wake up.

Nino took out a document from his bag. It was the proposal about their next project that Jun gave him yesterday. As he didn’t get the chance to discuss the next project with Jun, he asked for the proposal from Jun. However, he hadn’t had the chance to review the proposal yet. 

Nino was surprised to read Jun’s idea for the next game. Jun wanted to do a fairytale type of game where a prince would save his damsel in distress. It wasn’t the kind of theme Jun would usually do. Nino skimmed through the preliminary sketch that Jun included in the proposal and laughing as he noticed how the prince was similar to Jun. Wow, he couldn’t believe that his friend would make himself as the hero of the game.

“This should be the villain, not the hero,” said Nino, showing the sketch to Sho who laughed as well.

Nino turned to the next page and immediately froze upon seeing the drawing. It was a sketch of the princess who would be rescued by the prince. She looked just like him, except with a tiara, long hair and feminine features. But, he wasn’t surprised because of seeing himself as the princess. No, he was surprised because he had seen the drawing before. In his dream this morning.

_ “Wow, what a beautiful drawing! You’re so talented, Riida!”  _

_ “Thank you, Ka…” The guy that he called Riida trailed off when he realized what was happening. He immediately hid his sketchbook but Nino laughed in return. There’s no point in hiding. He already saw the sketch. _

_ “How long have you been watching me?”  _

_ “About 15 minutes,” answered Nino. He loved the way Riida panic to hear that. _

_ “Why didn’t you say anything?” _

_ “Well, I called you when I entered the room but you were so preoccupied with the drawing and ignored me. So, it wasn’t my fault,” That was a lie. He was curious to know what Riida was drawing so he didn’t call him when he entered. Instead, he sneakily went behind him to observe him drawing. The guy was too concentrated in his drawing so he didn’t notice Nino at all.  _

_ “Are you angry?”  _

_ “Why would I be? I’m just curious to know why are you drawing me like a princess. I should be a prince, you know,” _

_ Riida didn’t immediately answer him. Instead, he stared at the drawing. _

_ “I think you are beautiful,” _

_ “Well, I will be flattered to hear that if I’m a woman. I know there is a different reason you draw me like that. So, tell me,” _

_ “Don’t be angry at me if I told you,” said Riida. Nino nodded his head. He can never be angry at Riida. The guy is too adorable that he can never do so at him. “I think, you are a princess who was waiting to be rescued by your prince charming,” _

_ Nino was too stunned to respond. What did he mean by that? Did he mean with Nino’s current situation, he was waiting for a prince to rescue him? _

_ “Kazu, don’t get me wrong,” Riida tried to explain himself. Nino didn’t know how he looked like right now but he might look furious because Riida seemed to be scared of him. _

_ “Remember that you used to tell me that you want to be a character in your own game. I was just thinking of something like Mario. You see, I think Princess Peach was capable of protecting herself from Bowser. But, she seems to enjoy being rescued by Mario. So, I think you were similar to Peach because of that. Capable of doing something on your own but prefer to let others do it for you. Ah, but I don’t mean to say you are lazy,” _

_ Nino laughed hearing the explanation from Riida. As expected, he couldn’t be angry at Riida. He took the sketchbook from Riida. Looking at the sketch gave him inspiration for the concept of his next game. _

_ “Ne, can you draw…” _

  
  
  


That was when his dream ended. He didn’t know who Riida was. The guy’s face was blurred in his dream. He wondered who sketched the drawing in Jun’s proposal. Perhaps the guy was Riida in his dream. If not, maybe he knew who Riida was. He had to meet Riida. Riida was the key for him to understand why he felt like something was missing in his life.

“Nino,” said Sho, with concern. “Are you okay?”

Nino turned to look at Sho. He realized that they have arrived in the office.

“I’m okay,” answered Nino, putting back the proposal in his bag. “Sho, please ask Jun and the guy who sketch the character in the proposal to meet me as soon as possible,”

  
  
  
  
  
  


Nino was staring at the drawing of himself as a princess when someone knocked on his door. He asked the person to enter. It was Jun and -  _ He wasn’t surprised to see the person behind Jun.  _ It was  _ Ohno. _

“Good morning, Nino,” Jun greeted cheerfully as he sat on the chair opposite of him. Ohno, on the other hand, remained standing.

“You may sit, Ohno san,” said Nino. With a soft voice, Ohno thanked him before sitting on the chair next to Jun.  _ His voice. Was it similar to Riida in his dream? _

“So…” Nino tried to compose himself. “I’ve read the proposal you gave me yesterday, J. I was surprised that you will come out with that kind of concept,”

“It wasn’t my idea. It’s Ohno san’s idea. I saw the sketch and he explained to me what he was thinking when he sketched that. So, I thought it will be a good idea for our new game,”

Nino turned to look at Ohno. He was surprised to see the sketch.

“So, you drew me like a princess. Why?” Asked Nino. Like Riida, Ohno didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he stared at the sketch.  _ Will he give the same answer as Riida? _

“Are you angry?” Asked Ohno timidly in return. Nino was reminded of the way Riida reacted in his dream.

“Nope, just curious. I should be the prince, you know,” he tried to respond in the same way he did in his dream, to see the way Ohno reacted. However, the other guy remained expressionless. He did not even flinch. Was Nino wrong and the guy had nothing to do with Riida? Then, was the similarity between the drawing just a coincidence?

“A short prince,” said Jun in a low voice followed by a soft laugh. Nino ignored him as he was more interested to hear Ohno’s answer. However, it’s hard to keep a straight face when Ohno’s lips curled upwards, smiling because of Jun’s remark.

“Why are you smiling? You’re short like me too,” said Nino, pretending to be angry. Ohno immediately stopped smiling and apologized to him. He looks really cute to be panic like that.

“At least, Ohchan didn’t claim to be a prince,” defended Jun.

Once again, Nino wondered what was the relationship between Jun and Ohno. He felt jealous to see them and to his surprise, he was jealous at Jun. It’s weird. It was like, he had a feeling for Ohno.

“Whatever. Anyway…” Nino pointed at the sketch of Jun in a prince outfit. “I don’t want this to be the hero. I want this to be the villain,”

“What? Why should I be the villain? This handsome face shouldn’t be a villain. You must be jealous because Ohchan thought that I have prince quality,” protested Jun. Nino stuck his tongue out in response. It’s childish but that’s how he usually acted with Jun.

“I am not jealous. You can be the prince if you want. I just want to change the storyline of your game,” explained Nino.

“Interesting. What do you want to change?” Asked Jun.

In the original proposal, a princess of a wealthy kingdom was engaged to a prince. A few days before their wedding, she was kidnapped by a monster and the prince embarked on a journey to save her. However, Nino thought of another storyline. A witch stole an important item from the princess’ kingdom. The prince volunteer to retrieve the item but the princess refused to allow him because it’s her kingdom so she should be the one to retrieve the item. She asked him to take care of the kingdom during her absence. A servant of the prince offered himself to accompany the princess and the prince allowed him to follow. At first, the princess thought the servant would be a burden because he looked weak. But, as their journey began, she discovered that the servant was a skilful warrior.

As the twist, the princess didn’t know that the prince and the witch cooperate to overthrow her. The true purpose of the journey was to kill her. In the  _ fake _ final battle, it would be between the servant and the witch. Once the witch was defeated, the prince would appear and reveal his evil intention. So, the final battle was between the servant and the prince. In the end, the princess would marry the servant because they fall in love during the journey.

“The servant should be the main character. I want the game to be from his point of view,” said Nino, ending his explanation. Jun looked at him thoughtfully while Ohno remained expressionless as before. He wondered if Ohno listened to his explanation or simply spaces out.

“It’s better than the original. Okay, I agree with your idea,”

“Great. Think of a plot that would explain why the servant offered himself to go with the princess and make sure each level is challenging enough,” instructed Nino and Jun nodded in agreement.

“As for you, Ohchan…” Nino didn’t know why both Ohno and Jun were surprised when he said that. “… I want you to sketch the servant as someone who looked weak, lazy, unmotivated. That’s why the prince underestimate his true ability,”

“Okay, Ka… Ninomiya san,”

Of course, Nino noticed the slip out but he didn’t say anything. He dismissed both of them from his office.

_ Who are you, Ohchan? Was that just a dream or perhaps a memory that I cannot remember? If we know each other before, why can't I remember you?  _ Nino thought to himself as he watched Ohno’s retreating figure.

  
  
  
  
  
  


_ Ohno blinked in surprise when Nino suddenly laughed at him. He was sure the guy was angry at him for calling him a princess a moment ago but now the guy was laughing hysterically. He didn’t think Nino was angry at him anymore as he smiled innocently at him. A smile that he gave him whenever he wanted Ohno to do something for him. _

_ “Ne, can you draw Jun as the prince?”  _

_ Ohno flinched upon hearing the request from Nino. Most probably Nino didn’t notice that as he keep on blabbering about the idea he had for his next game. Nino had admitted to him that he likes Jun and had confessed to him. But Jun rejected him because he had another in his heart.  _

_ “But…” Ohno tried to reject the idea. _

_ “Yes, I know it’s delusional. But, if I cannot be with him in real life, can I be with him in my imagination? If he said anything, I will just say it’s because of his prince-like quality, not because I was expecting something,” _

_ Nino looked at him expectantly. He cannot say no to that face. So, reluctantly, he agreed. Nino’s face was filled with happiness and Ohno smiled in return. In his heart, he wondered why Nino kept hoping that Jun would love him. What he said earlier was right. Nino was indeed waiting for his prince to rescue him and he wanted Jun to be his prince. If only he realized there was someone else who wants to be his knight in shining armour. _

  
  
  
  
  


“Ohchan~~~”

Jun sing-song his name as he stood in front of him. Ohno narrowed his eyes in annoyance.

“Don’t be angry at me. You should thank me. You get the brat’s attention because of me,” Ohno was about to protest when Jun continued. “In a good way. The brat wanted to fire you yesterday because he thought you are a lunatic. We’ve told him that you are talented so he wanted to give you a chance. What is the better way to show off your talent? Of course, the drawing of the  _ gorgeous  _ princess,”

“Whatever. Whose idea was it to submit my drawing without my permission? Sho?”

Ohno was surprised when Nino showed him the sketch earlier. He gave the sketch to Jun, explaining what Nino had in mind for their next project. But, a lot of things had happened causing him to forget about the drawing. He didn’t expect Jun will give the sketch to Nino once he woke up from the coma.

“It’s my idea,” their conversation was interrupted by Sho who showed up in his working station. “We just want to help him remember you. The drawing seems special so maybe he will remember you soon,”

Ohno sighed in return. He didn’t mind to show the sketch to Nino. It would be a miracle if Nino remembered him because of the drawing. What he was afraid of was Nino’s reaction if he remembered  _ something else  _ about the drawing.

“Ohno Kun, I was with him this morning when he found the drawing. He was staring at it like he was trying to remember where he had seen it before. So, let’s be optimistic, okay?”

Sho tried to cheer him up. He didn’t know how to respond so he simply nodded his head.

“Okay, Ohchan. You better start working on the sketch for the hero. Do you have any idea for the servant?”

Ohno shook his head. He noticed Jun and Sho exchanged look like they were plotting something evil.

“I’m sure you will figure out something,” said Jun as he stood up to leave. Both he and Sho leave immediately before Ohno could ask them the meaning behind their evil look.

  
  
  
  
  
  


Nino looked at the watch. It’s almost 8 PM but Sho was nowhere to be found. He had been waiting for Sho for two hours. He wasn’t in the office. He tried to call Sho but there was no answer. He wanted to go home but his friend had warned him not to go anywhere alone. He could ask Jun to give him a ride home but the guy was in a hurry and left before he could say anything.

“Ah, whatever. If anything happened to me, it is Sho’s fault for leaving me alone,” Nino decided to leave without waiting for his friend. He thought of what to eat for dinner when he saw Ohno sitting at the bench near the entrance. He hadn’t seen Ohno for the last two days. The last time he saw Ohno was when he called the guy to his office. His heart beats faster and he felt excited to see the other guy again. Even though Ohno was alone, he seems to be talking with someone as he nodded his head while mumbling ‘I see’. He didn’t seem to notice Nino was there.

“So, you want me to meet your friend and told him you didn’t blame him for what happened?” Asked Ohno to his imaginary friend. It was creepy to see Ohno talking to himself like that but he continued to watch.

“Okay, I will go to see him n...” Nino didn’t know how to react when Ohno lifted his head and caught him staring. Ohno’s face turned red in embarrassment.

“It’s late. Why are you still here?” Asked Nino. He decided to pretend he didn’t see anything earlier.

“I had some work to do,”

“For our new game?” Asked Nino once again and Ohno nodded his head. It was a lie but Nino didn’t say anything about it. 

“Okay, I look forward to seeing the results,” said Nino, turning his direction towards the entrance of the company. “I’ll go home first,”

“Ano…” Nino stopped walking when Ohno suddenly pulled his hand. But he immediately let go when he realized what he was doing. “Where is Sho? Aren't you supposed to go home with him?”

“Ah… I’ve been waiting for him but he was missing. Maybe something happened to his friend in the hospital,” Nino suddenly thought of Sho’s friend. That would explain why Sho suddenly went missing without reason.

“I haven't seen Aiba chan today,” Ohno mumbled in a low voice. The name sounds familiar but as Nino didn’t know who Aiba was, he ignored it

“Isn't it dangerous for you to go home alone? Where is Matsujun?” Asked Ohno again. Nino then explained that Jun went home immediately before he could ask for a ride. He felt weird to be  _ interrogated _ by his employee like that. But, he was even more surprised to realize that he wasn’t angry at Ohno for acting like that. Instead, he was happy.

“I will accompany you home,” announced Ohno.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to do that,” He refused to accept Ohno’s offer. Deep in his heart, he was scolding himself for saying that. He wanted to spend more time with Ohno.

“No no. You might collapse again. It’s dangerous so please let me help,”

“But… You have to go somewhere else, right?” Said Nino as he remembered what Ohno said earlier. Ohno immediately pouted when he said that.

“Eh… What’s wrong?” Asked Nino when he noticed the change in Ohno’s expression.

“You must have seen me talking to myself again. You must think that I am a lunatic. That’s why you refused to go with me. You are afraid of me. But, I don’t… Hmmm… Let me….”

Nino didn’t know what controls him at that moment as hugged Ohno to stop him from blabbing. It worked as Ohno stared at him in confusion. He knew he should let go of the guy but he didn’t. Instead, he hugged Ohno tightly. It felt right to embrace Ohno, it felt like something that he wanted to do for a long time.

“Let’s go to where you have to go first. Then, we eat dinner together and you can send me home after that,” suggested Nino. Ohno didn’t say anything but he nodded his head in agreement.

Nino had to admit that he was surprised with himself. There was something… Something about Ohno that made him felt like he had known him for a long time. He wanted to ask Ohno if there was something between them but he thought it would be more satisfying if he found the answer on his own.

  
  



	3. Chapter 3

“Ohchan, can you please open the door? It’s too noisy,”

Ohno stirred in his sleep when someone pushed him lightly. He was too sleepy to think who it was but it must be one of his  _ uninvited guests.  _ It was indeed too noisy. He can hear the doorbell rang as well as the phone ringing. He was too lazy to open the door and hoping the person at the other side of the door will stop and go home. But, it seems like the other person wouldn’t give up.

With a heavy step and loud yawn, he stood up from the couch… eh… when did he buy a couch? He suddenly thought of it. Ignoring the thoughts, he opened the door to reveal Jun and Sho who frowned upon seeing him.

“What are you doing here early in the morning?” Asked Ohno as he glanced at the clock, noting it was only 7 am.

_ Since when did I put the clock…..?  _ He didn’t feel sleepy anymore when he finally realized why Sho and Jun were surprised to see him, as well as the existence of the couch when he was sure he didn't buy any for his small apartment. More importantly, the hand which pushed him earlier wasn’t as  _ cold  _ as his usual guest. He turned to the couch to see Nino sleepily rubbed his eyes and the memory of what happened yesterday came back to him.

  
  
  
  
  


_ Ohno was surprised when Nino suddenly hugged him. The last time he hugged the other guy, it led to their first and last kiss. With the way Nino was staring at him right now, he doubted he could control himself from kissing the other guy again. _

_ Nino finally let him go when he agreed to what was suggested by Nino. He was convinced the other guy thought he was crazy after catching him talking to himself for the second time. Surprisingly, Nino didn’t freak out. Instead, he pretended as if nothing had happened between them.  _

_ “Let’s go,” Nino took his hand and led him outside. It wasn’t the first time they hold hand but it certainly felt different than the previous times.  _

_ They didn’t talk much as they walked together. They went to Ohno’s destination first to meet a friend of a friend. Thankfully, the apartment of the guy he was supposed to meet was only two stops away from their office. Ohno talked with the guy outside of the apartment but Nino stood a bit far from them, not listening to what they were talking about. He was thankful for that because he didn’t want Nino to know what he can do.  _

_ After he finished delivering the message, he brought Nino to a restaurant. The restaurant was really special for them but he doubted Nino would recognize it.  _

_ “It’s weird…” Nino said as he observed the restaurant. “I think this is my first time here but it looks familiar,”  _

_ Ohno didn’t say anything. He simply pulled Nino to his favourite spot.  _

_ “Ah, you finally bring a friend here!” The waitress greeted them. As Ohno frequently visited the restaurant, she had recognized him. But, what she said wasn’t true. Ohno always brought Nino, and sometimes Aiba to the restaurant. _

_ “You always come here?” Asked Nino and Ohno nodded in return.  _

_ “Then, can you choose for me?”  _

_ Hamburger was what Ohno ordered for them.  _

_ “It’s delicious!” Nino exclaimed. Ohno decided to keep it a secret that the hamburger was something that Nino always wanted to eat when they came to the restaurant. He was happy that Nino finally had a chance to taste it. “Thank you for bringing me here,” _

_ Throughout the dinner, the two of them talked about each other. He had experienced this before but he didn’t mind to get to know Nino again.  _

_ After dinner, they walked together to Nino’s apartment. Even though the apartment was quite far, Nino didn’t want to take the train. Ohno didn’t complain because he will have more time to spend with Nino. However, Nino wasn’t as chatty as he was in the restaurant. He was silent as if something was bothering him. Ohno didn’t want to ask, afraid of what Nino would answer. _

_ “Ne…” Nino suddenly stopped walking. “Can I ask you something?” _

_ Reluctantly, Ohno nodded his head. Even though Ohno permitted him, Nino still looked unsure to continue. So, Ohno braced himself to talk about things that made people thought he was crazy. _

_ “Do you want to ask me who I was talking to in the office just now?” Said Ohno. In response, Nino nodded his head. _

_ “Would you believe me if I said I can see things that other people can’t see?”  _

_ “Like a ghost?” Nino didn’t seem surprised. Perhaps because he already think of that.  _

_ “I prefer to call them spirits,” _

_ “You’re not afraid of them?” Asked Nino. Ohno shook his head. He was surprised when he first saw them but he wasn’t afraid. Instead, he felt sorry at them for not being able to move on. That’s why he decided to help them even though some of them are stubborn.  _

_ Nino didn’t say anything after that. They walked in silence until they arrived in front of Nino’s apartment. _

_ “Thank you. Would you like to get inside?” Asked Nino. Ohno shook his head. It’s getting late. If he didn’t leave now, he might miss the last train. _

_ However, Nino seems to be disappointed with his decision.  _

_ “I will miss the last train if I stay,” _

_ “Ne, don’t laugh but I am a scaredy-cat. Can you check if there are any ghosts in my apartment?”  _

_ Ohno glanced at his watch before nodding his head. If he ran to the station later, maybe he can still get on the last train.  _

_ Ohno closed his eyes, tried to sense if there are any ghost in the apartment. He had been doing this for a long time. He didn’t need to check every room to ensure there is no ghost in the house.  _

_ He opened his eyes to see a frightening Nino. He wondered if the guy will freak out if he said there is a ghost in the house. But, he decided to tease Nino some other time. _

_ “Don’t worry. There is nothing in your apartment,” _

_ “Are you sure?” Ohno nodded his head.  _

_ Before he could leave, Nino pulled his hand.  _

  
  
  
  
  


“Ahhhhhhh!!!!”

Nino’s scream broke him out of his trance. He looked at Nino, whose ears were pulled by Jun. 

“You made too much noise in the morning. People are still sleeping,” said Jun. Nino attempted to do the same to Jun but Jun was quick to avoid Nino’s attack on his ear.

“You are the one who made too much noise in the morning,” complained Nino. “We were sleeping until you came,”

“That’s because we are worried something happened to you,” Sho defended both Jun and himself. It reminded Ohno of why he ended up in Nino’s place. Both Sho and Jun had promised to look after Nino. However, they had left Nino alone yesterday. Fortunately, he met Nino before the guy went home by himself. What if Nino gets into an accident? What if Nino had another headache? Thinking of that made him furious to both Jun and Sho.

“Why did you left Kazu?” Ohno couldn’t stop himself from yelling. “What if something happened to him on his way home?”

The three guys looked at him in a panic because of his sudden outburst. However, Nino’s expression became curious, perhaps wondering why he snapped at both Jun and Sho. That is when he realized that he shouldn’t snap at Jun and Sho, at least not in front of Nino. This Nino wasn’t aware of the relationship they had. He must be thinking why a stranger was worried for his safety.

“Ah, I’m sorry,” he apologized immediately, hoping Nino wouldn’t think so much of it.

“No no. It’s my fault,” said Sho. “I had an emergency yesterday. I was panic so I forgot to inform Jun to bring Nino home. I remembered Nino this morning so I immediately called Jun to ask if he sent Nino home. When he said he didn’t, I tried to call Nino but he didn’t answer the phone. I came here immediately to check if he was home. Thank you, Ohno san for bringing him home and I’m sorry for what happened yesterday,”

“It’s okay,” it was Nino who answered. “We have the chance to know each other, right?”

Nino hugged his arm. Because of that, he couldn’t think of a proper response so he simply nodded his head. Both Jun and Sho looked at them curiously, perhaps wondering why Nino was overly attached to him today. Well, if Ohno had to guess, Nino must be acting like this because of what happened between them yesterday. 

After he missed the last train, Ohno decided to stay at Nino’s house. This happened because he wasted his time staring at Nino’s beautiful brown eyes after Nino pulled him. They spent the night watching a horror movie together. Nino had been dying to watch it but he was too scared to do it alone. He couldn't ask Jun or Sho to watch with him because they would make fun of him. As they were watching the movie, Nino hugged him the whole time and asked if the ghost in real life were as shown in the movie. He didn’t answer him for fear that his answer might scare Nino. When Nino fell asleep on his shoulder, he switched off the television. He wanted to carry Nino to his room but the guy suddenly woke up and told him he wanted to sleep on the couch. Ohno asked him if there is a futon that he could use but Nino pulled him to sleep next to him on the small couch.

“I’m still sleepy,” mumbled Nino. “You may stay but if you want to leave, please lock the door,”

Ohno took that as the cue to leave. He was still sleepy and thankful that it was Saturday so he can continue sleeping once he was home. He was about to ask Sho if he could get a ride home when Nino suddenly gestured for him to go to his bedroom.

“Sleeping on the bed is more comfortable, ne?” Said Nino. “Ah, it would be wonderful if breakfast is ready for us when we woke up,”

Ohno couldn’t bring himself to decline the offer. Without thinking, he followed Nino to the bedroom. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


Nino kept staring at Ohno who was sleeping soundly next to him. He had lied to his friends earlier. He wasn’t sleepy. He was fully awake since Jun and Sho disturbed his sleep. But, he felt sorry to see Ohno’s sleepy face. Most probably, he couldn’t sleep well because of the couch. That’s why Nino suggested to sleep on the bed. Ohno immediately drifted to dreamland once he lied down on the bed.

As Nino wasn’t sleepy, he decided to stare at Ohno’s peaceful face. He looked like an angel when he was sleeping and Nino love to see it. He could feel that this wasn’t the first time he watched the other sleeping. It must be something that he had done for hundredth times. 

Since he woke up from his coma, yesterday was the first time he could sleep without dreaming about Riida. In the beginning, he dreamt of chasing after a guy in a very dark place but after he met Ohno, the dream changed to spending time with Riida. Surprisingly, everything he remembered about the dream was connected to Ohno. The drawing of him as the princess. The restaurant he went yesterday with Ohno. The hamburger he ate with Ohno. They were all in his dream. Now that he thought of it, he finally knew why Aiba sounds familiar. He had seen him in his dream. Unlike Riida, Nino could see Aiba’s face. He is a cheerful guy that he loves to bully in his dream. Aiba often complained that Riida neglected him after Nino stayed with them. But he didn’t look like he was jealous. Instead, he seems happy to see both of them.

With all of the clues from his dream, he was fully convinced that Ohno was Riida. Knowing what Ohno could do, he had an idea of when he might meet Ohno but he couldn’t bring himself to ask Ohno to confirm the truth.

He let Ohno sleep in the room alone, worried for what Ohno would think of him if he found him staring. He took a shower and went outside of the room to see what Jun and Sho were doing. He was relieved to see it was Jun who cooked in the kitchen. Sho, on the other hand, was staring at a photo with a pair of sad eyes. Wondering who was in the photo, Nino went behind him and snatched the photo from him. It was a photo of Sho and a guy. Though he never met the guy before, he knew who he was.

“Nino!” Yelled Sho. “Who gives you permission to look at the picture?” 

“Is that… Aiba chan?” Asked Nino. He only met Aiba in his dream but he was convinced he was correct. Sho was surprised to hear him say the name.

“How do you know Aiba chan?” asked Sho.

“I’ve seen him…”

“When? Where?”

“In my dream,” answered Nino shortly. Then he remembered what Ohno said yesterday. “Ohchan knows him too. He said he didn’t see Aiba chan at all yesterday,”

“What?” Sho was surprised to hear what he was saying. Then, his eyes became wide before storming off to Nino’s room. Nino followed him from behind, wondering what was wrong with Sho. 

“Ne…..” Sho tried to wake Ohno up from his sleep. Ohno immediately opened his eyes. He looked clueless, wondering why Sho disturbed his sleep once again. “Did you lie to me about Aiba chan? Have you met him?”

“How….” Ohno was too surprised to respond. But his reaction gave Sho the answer he was looking for. Ohno had met Aiba. Nino only watched this in silent, wondering why Sho was angry with Ohno for keeping a secret about Aiba.

“Do you know how long Aiba was in a coma? 5 years! The doctor said there was nothing wrong with him, he just refused to wake up. When I found out that you could see spirits, I asked you to look for him and convinced him to come back. You said you cannot find him. But…. You lied to me, right?”

Ohno didn’t say anything. He just listened to what Sho was saying without denying anything.

“Why did you lie?” Sho continued to ask but Ohno remained silent. Guilt was evident in his expression. 

Jun came shortly after, asking Nino why Sho was shouting.

“Please answer me!”

“I tried!” Ohno finally snapped after being pushed to answer for a few times. “He is my friend, the first one who refused to move on. I didn’t know anything about him until the first time you came to my house and asked for my help to find his spirits. When I noticed how uneasy he was to see you, I know you are the reason he didn’t want to wake up. He never asks for anything since I met him but when you showed up, he asked me to lie to you about him,” 

“But… Why? What did I do that made him refuse to wake up?”

“I don’t know. I’ve been telling him to go back but he didn’t want to. The last time we talked about this, he said he will leave once Kazu comes back. But, since that day, he rarely shows up in front of me and yesterday, I don’t see him at all,” answered Ohno. Nino tried to remain expressionless when he heard Ohno mentioned  _ Kazu.  _ He was convinced that he was the one meant by Ohno. “Ne… Your emergency yesterday…. Did something happen to him?”

“His parents want to….”

A sudden phone call interrupted them. At first, it seems that he wanted to reject the call but once he saw the caller ID, he immediately answered.

“Moshi Moshi, Aiba san,” answered Sho. “Did something happen to Masaki?”

Sho’s eyes grew wider as the person at the other end of the line responded. 

“Masaki… Is that really you?” Everyone else in the room, except Nino, was surprised to hear what Sho said. Ohno, especially, seems happy to hear it. “I’m at a friend’s house. I will go there immediately. Wait for me, okay!”

Sho ended the phone call and before he left, he turned to Ohno.

“Do you want to see Masaki with me?”

Ohno shook his head before continuing. “He won’t remember me,”

Sho smiled understandingly at him before rushing to leave the house. Jun told both Ohno and Nino that he had prepared breakfast for them before he left them to follow Sho.

Even though he had spent the entire night being alone with Ohno yesterday, it became awkward to be left like this. Ohno stared at him and he stared at Ohno with no one say anything.

“Let’s eat,” said Nino awkwardly. However, Ohno shook his head.

“I’m sorry. I need to go home now,”

  
  
  
  
  
  


“This is Ohchan’s apartment,” said Jun. He dropped Nino off at an old apartment building. Earlier, Nino asked Jun to send him to Ohno’s apartment. His hunch was telling him that Ohno must feel lonely now that Aiba was gone from his house. That’s why he decided to visit him. “When do you want me to pick you up?”

Nino glanced at his watch. It was only 8 pm. Truthfully, he didn’t want to go home today but… 

Well… Let’s see how Ohno reacted first.

“I’ll call you later,” answered Nino.

“Don’t be naughty, okay,” said Jun, smirking at Nino before he left. 

“Eh… What is his apartment number?” Nino thought to himself once Jun left, scolding himself for forgetting to ask Jun about that. But… the apartment..., he had seen this apartment in his dream. Perhaps he can figure out Ohno’s apartment on his own. Instinctively, he pressed the elevator to go to the second floor and looked for apartment number 2-6. Once he stood in front of the apartment, he doubted if he should ring the doorbell. What if it’s the wrong apartment? 

“Ka… Ninomiya san?” Before he could decide what to do, Ohno suddenly appeared in front of the elevator, carrying a cup of hot coffee. “What are you doing here?”

“Ah…. Just visiting you,”

“Are you here alone?” Asked Ohno.

Nino nodded his head but remembering how Ohno snapped at Jun and Sho for leaving him alone, he immediately added. “Jun sent me here,”

Ohno smiled at him as he unlocked the door. He invited Nino inside before he put the coffee on the table. There weren't too many things in the apartment. Just a bed and a table. This apartment, like other things related to Ohno…. he recognized this as the place where he often spent his time with Riida.

“Sorry for taking too long,” Ohno said to the empty table. He must be talking to a spirit. “So, you will go once you smell this coffee for the last time?”

Nino ignored him as he continued to look around the house. He saw a sketchbook on the bed and sat on the bed to look at Ohno’s artwork. Just like Jun said, Ohno was indeed talented. His drawings… They were so beautiful. As he flipped through the sketchbook, he saw the drawing of himself as the princess again. He smiled as he looked at the drawing before turning to the next page, expecting to see a drawing of Jun as the prince. However, it was a different drawing. It was a drawing of Ohno, dressing like a knight.

Nino was at loss for words as he stared at the sketch. He wondered how long had Ohno drawn this. Was it before he drew Jun as the prince? Or was it for their latest project? The drawing of Ohno as the knight was perfect for the image of the servant he had in his mind.

“Where did you find that?” Ohno asked him as he took the sketchbook from him. His face turned red in embarrassment. At the same time, he seems to be furious. 

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t look,”

“You were always like this. You always look at my sketchbook without my permission,”

“I’m sorry…” He didn’t know what else to say. “I just think that drawing was beautiful,”

“Making fun of my drawing or making fun of my feeling?” Said Ohno in response.

“Ohchan… I’m really sorry. I thought it was a drawing for our project. It’s per…,”

“This wasn’t for our project. It was something delusional. Just like you requested to have Jun as the prince so that you can be with him in your imagination, I draw this to fulfil my own imagination to be with you,” his voice. It was full of pain and it was all because of Nino. Nino never thought that Riida had an unrequited feeling for  _ Kazu. _ “Please leave, Kazu. I will quit the company. It must be awkward for you to have me working for you after knowing that I love you,”

Nino didn’t want to leave. He didn’t want to lose Ohno, not because of a misunderstanding. It’s true, it must be unrequited feeling for Ohno when they first met. But, after spending a year with Ohno as the spirits, he didn’t realize that he had finally fallen in love with the other guy. Maybe because he wanted to be with Ohno as a true couple, he decided to wake up from his coma. Unfortunately, he lost all of his memories with Ohno but he still has the feelings for Ohno. That’s why he was not interested in Jun anymore and was craving to be with Ohno.

“I don’t want to leave. You are wrong. I… I don’t love Jun. Not anymore,” said Nino as he stood in front of Ohno, holding his hands and refused to let him go.

“I love you, Riida,”

Ohno was surprised to hear the confession and Nino used the chance to kiss Ohno.

  
  



	4. Chapter 4

**Who Are You? - Part 4**

_ It was dark. Everything was dark so Nino couldn’t see anything. He closed his eyes, hoping that when he opened again, it will be bright. However, it was still dark when he opened his eyes. He didn’t know what to do so he wandered around in the dark. Perhaps there would be light if he searched for it. _

_ And then he found the light. It was in the form of a human. He shone brightly so Nino walked to that person. He was a small guy, as short as Nino but he was chubby. Unlike Nino’s pale complexion, the guy was tanned. Nino stood in front of him, wondering if the guy can see him. Then, all of a sudden, his surrounding became brighter and he looked around. Seemed like he was in a hospital. _

_ “Riida!” A guy next to the light shouted excitedly. He was taller than Nino. “There is a new guy!” _

_ The taller guy pointed his finger at Nino. The light ignored the taller guy. Instead, he kept on staring at a body on the bed. Nino turned to look at what he was staring at and was surprised to see… It was the taller guy on the bed.  _

_ “I’m not dead. I’m in a coma,” said the taller guy. “I’m Aiba. That is Ohno but I love to call him Riida. He is the only one who can see us,” _

_ “Us?”  _

_ “Yup. Spirits. How about you? Are you dead?”  _

_ Nino shook his head. He didn’t know. The last thing he remembered… He was driving when suddenly a car from the opposite side collided with his car. Did he die because of that? Nino shook his head a few times, refusing to believe that he is dead.  _

_ “Are you okay?” He heard a soft voice. It was Ohno.  _

_ “I don’t know. Am I dead?”  _

_ “You looked familiar. What’s your name?” _

_ “Ninomiya Kazunari,” _

_ “Ah, the game president. You were in an accident. But, I don’t think you are dead. You are still unconscious,” _

_ “Accident?” _

_ “Yes. Ah, do you want to find your body? I think you are treated in this hospital. If you reunited with your body, maybe you will wake up,” _

_ Ohno gestured for Nino to follow him. But, Nino didn’t want to follow him. He couldn’t bear to look at the damage on his body. _

_ “I don’t want,” _

  
  
  
  
  


_ “So, you have been in a coma for 4 years?” Asked Nino. He ended up following Ohno home. Ohno visited his physical body in the hospital without him. It was badly injured but he survived the accident. The doctor cannot predict when Nino will regain his consciousness so Ohno advised Nino to return to his body. Maybe it’s the only way to wake up. However, Nino refused to reunite with his physical body. _ __

_ “Yes. It’s better this way, Nino. I can run away from people that I don’t want to see. I can tease them. Their reaction when I pulled a prank was golden. I also know a lot of secrets,” answered Aiba. Ohno looked at him disapprovingly. _

_ “Aiba chan, you are a bad influence to Ninomiya san,” said Ohno. “Ninomiya san, don’t you worry about your company?” _

_ Of course, he was worried about his company. But, even if he woke up right now, the doctor won't allow him to get back to work immediately. He will be asked to rest until his body was fully recovered. Being a spirit, he can work by using Ohno. He had seen the sketch made by the guy. Using his talent, Ohno can work as a design artist in his company. So, with Aiba’s help, Nino left a memo on Sho’s table, instructing him to hire Ohno as the design artist. They made sure to put it under a pile of files so that Sho will think it was there before the accident happened and he didn’t see it because there were a lot of files. _

_ “Don’t worry. Sho and Jun will take care of my company. And please stop calling me, Ninomiya san. It’s too formal. We’re going to be roommate, right? How about you call me….” He leaned towards Ohno who sat next to him, flashing the most seductive smile he could manage before whispering to Ohno. “… Kazu?” _

_ Ohno blinked in surprise. He immediately pushed Nino away and go to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. Nino and Aiba laughed looking at his reaction. He was too adorable. _

_ “If we both returned to our body, you will be lonely, Riida,” said Aiba once Ohno was back in the living room. _

_ “Whatever. Ninomi…” Nino silenced Ohno with a finger on his lips. _

_ “Kazu. Call me, Kazu” _

_ “It sounds inappropriate,”  _

_ “It’s okay. We’re going to spend a lot of time together after all. Call me Kazu or I will kiss you,” warned Nino. He loved the way Ohno panic to hear that so he ended up laughing at him. _

_ “That would be enough teasing for today, Nino,” Aiba interrupted both of them. “Let’s play a game. Riida didn’t like to play games so I always play alone. Yeah, I finally have someone to play with,” _

_ Nino immediately agreed. Yes, there will be no Jun or Sho who would nag at him if he played too much. Being a spirit has a lot of advantages, right? _

  
  
  
  
  
  


_ “Riida… Riida… Hurry up! You need to hide. J is here,” shouted Nino. He had asked Ohno to copy a few files from his PC in the office so that he can work on it at Ohno’s house. He will be on guard to see if Jun or Sho suddenly show up in the office.  _

_ “Didn’t I tell you it would be easier if you came at night? No one can see you! Jun or Sho wouldn’t be around so you don’t have to worry about them. Why do you have to cause trouble for me?” Ohno was complaining as Nino instructed him to hide under the table. Hopefully, Jun wouldn’t check the table and was only looking for the files in the shelf. If he went to the table, Nino would think of a way to distract him. _

_ “It’s scary at night,” _

_ “Bring Aiba chan with you,” _

_ “He is too noisy,” _

_ It was a lie. He enjoyed doing this with Ohno, instead of Aiba. He loves the way Ohno complained each time he came out with a ridiculous idea. It’s still fresh in his mind how Ohno yelled at both of them after Sho called him to offer a job in NeenGames. Ohno rejected the offer but Sho wanted him to reconsider because that was the last request from Nino before the accident. But, Ohno knew that it was something both Aiba and Nino did after the accident so he yelled at them for doing so. Nino then defended himself saying it would be better if there is someone he can communicate within the company which Ohno counterattacked that it would be solved if Nino goes back to his physical body. The argument continued for about 30 minutes when Ohno finally agreed with his request. That is what he likes the most about Ohno. He always fulfils what Nino wanted even though he complained a lot. Sometimes, Nino felt guilty for causing too much trouble to Ohno but he loves the way Ohno pouted. That’s why he never stopped. It was really unfortunate for Ohno to meet a bratty spirit like him, combining with the weird Aibaka. _

_ The door of his office was opened from the outside. Jun stepped inside, taking a file from the shelf and immediately left. Ohno sighed in relief. They waited for 15 minutes before Nino checked if anyone else was on the floor. After making sure everything is clear, he signalled for Ohno to go. They decided to take the stairs, in case Sho or Jun was in the elevator. But, when they opened the door for the stairs, both Sho and Jun were there.  _

_ Nino yelped in surprise, but of course, no one can hear him except Ohno. He didn’t check the stairs because… No one ever used the stairs before.  _

_ “Ohno san, what’s in your pocket?” Asked Jun. He didn’t wait for Ohno to answer. Instead, he quickly checked the pocket and took out the USB Ohno used to copy the files. _

_ “What is this?” Asked Jun angrily. “Are you a spy?” _

_ “It… Kazu wants… I don’t know,” Ohno mumbled incoherently, clearly panicked. He looked at Nino’s direction, expecting him to come out with an idea to save him. But, Nino cannot think at all. _

_ “You betrayed Nino. He wants you to work here but you…” Sho was disappointed. Nino wanted to scream, to defend Ohno but he knew no one will hear him.  _

_ “Riida, I’m so sorry. I should check the stairs. Don’t worry, I will save you,” said Nino as Jun dragged Ohno to Nino’s office, threatening to call the police if Ohno refused to talk.  _

_ Once they were in the room, Sho grabbed the office’s telephone but before he could dial, Nino snatched the phone from him. Sho was scared to see the phone hanging in the air without anyone holding it. He tried to grab the phone but Nino ran away with the phone. Jun was too focus on Ohno so he didn’t see the incident. _

_ “Sho, why didn’t you call the police yet?” Asked Jun and he turned only to be surprised with what he saw. _

_ “What the heck? What happened?” He tried to sound cool but there’s no denying he was also scared to see that. _

_ “Kazu…” Ohno looked at his direction. _

_ “Why do you keep saying Kazu? Is he your boss? He is some kind of weird magician and he does this?” Asked Sho pointing at the phone. But, Ohno shook his head. Nino then pointed at the PC, telling Ohno to ask both Sho and Jun to look at the PC. He decided to explain the real situation to his friends so that they won’t doubt Ohno anymore.  _

_ “Look at the PC,” Ohno sounded unsure, perhaps worrying that Jun and Sho wouldn’t believe him. But, they did as what they were told even though Jun was still glaring at him. _

_ Nino switched on the PC and use Microsoft word to explain his situation to his friends.  _

It’s me, Nino. I am a spirit now. I’m not dead, I just don’t want to wake up yet. Riida... No, Ohno san can see people like me and I asked him to work for the company. That’s why I left the memo on your table, Sho chan.

_ “Is that really you, Nino?” Both of them asked simultaneously. _

Yes. If you don’t believe me, I will tell you the secret that only both of us know. First, Sho, please look away. I’m going to talk about my secret with Jun.

_ Sho looked away, allowing only Jun to look at the screen. _

I confessed to you but you reject me. You love someone else but you never tell me who the lucky person is.

_ “I’m sorry,” mumbled Jun and Nino typed his reply. _

It’s okay. I understand, please call Sho. It’s his turn.

_ He deleted his previous message with Jun before he typed the secret Sho shared with him. _

You love your friend who is in a coma.

_ “Nino, did you tell anyone else about it?” Asked Sho. _

Don’t worry. I never told anyone. You believe me now? 

_ “Yes,” answered Sho shortly. He called Jun back to the screen as Nino deleted their previous message. _

_ “So, when are you coming back?” Asked Jun. _

If I get back to my body now, the doctor won't let me work or playing games. But, if I stay as a spirit, I could do both. Don’t worry, I will be back but not now. I will wait until my physical body is ready. It’s fun, you know. I get to tease you like just now. Your scared face was really funny, J! 

_ “If I can see you, I will pull your ear,” said Jun. Nino was grateful for that and because Jun cannot pull his ear, he did so to Jun, which caused him to scream. _

_ “Nino!” Jun yelled. “Just wait until you come back,”  _

_ Nino glanced at Ohno who was watching him from the couch. Ohno smiled at him. It looked genuine but Nino couldn’t help but think Ohno was jealous. But, why? Did he like Jun?  _

_ Nino shook his head, refused to think about that possibility before he typed a new message for his friends to read. _

You can trust Riida. He is a nice guy.

_ Jun looked at the message before typing a reply to him. _

Why did Ohno san call you Kazu? I thought you don’t let people call your first name, especially if you just meet him.

Well, because he is adorable, I allow him to call my first name.

_ He was so tired of typing so he went to Ohno, ordering him to tell his friends that he will use Ohno to tell them anything. The other guy did as he was told and his friends looked at Ohno in disbelief.  _

_ “Ohno san, I’m so sorry that Nino treated you like his servant,” said Sho, sympathizing with the way Nino was treating Ohno. It was a wonder for Nino to see how obedient Ohno was. Yes, Ohno would complain but he will still do it. He asked about this to Aiba and the explanation he got was… Ohno is a nice guy. Sometimes, he felt bad to take Ohno’s kindness for granted. “You don’t have to do what he told you. I believe if you let him be, he will go back to his own body instead of wandering as a spirit,” _

_ “It’s okay. He’s not ready yet,” _

_ Jun and Sho exchanged a look but didn’t say anything else, respecting Ohno’s choice to let Nino bossing him. _

_ “So, when the other employee saw you talking to yourself… You were talking to Nino?” Asked Sho. Ohno nodded his head. Indeed, Ohno had tried to ignore him but, maybe because he was too noisy, Ohno would answer him back in annoyance. He knew it was wrong but he loves the way other people looked at Ohno at such times. Ah, he should stop doing that or Ohno would soon be admitted into a mental institution. _

_ “He is a brat, right?” Said Jun. “I had my doubt at first but now I am convinced that it was really him. Just you wait, brat! I will definitely pay you back for what you did earlier,” _

_ Hearing that, Nino took the empty trash can and put it on top of Jun’s head. _

  
  
  
  
  
  


_ “Umai!” Exclaimed Ohno as he ate the hamburger.  _

_ Nino envied him. This is the only thing he didn’t like about being a spirit. He cannot eat or drink.  _

_ “I’ve told you. It’s better if you wake up. You missed a lot of nice food if you stay as a spirit,” said Ohno when he saw how Nino was looking at his hamburger hungrily.  _

_ “But you will be alone,” answered Aiba. His standard answer whenever Ohno started persuading them to wake up from their coma.  _

_ “Aiba chan was waiting for Sho to kiss him. You know, like Snow White and Prince Charming,” Said Nino. He laughed looking at Aiba’s red face. _

_ “Nonsense!”  _

_ Nino didn’t say anything in response. Maybe it was him who was hoping for a kiss from Jun. It has been 5 months since the accident. It’s fun being a spirit. As a spirit, he had known how people truly feel about him. His parents… They missed him and Nino felt guilty for making them worried. As for his friends, he didn’t care what they think of him. He only cares for Jun and Sho because they are his real friends. They missed him and interacting with him through Ohno wasn’t enough. Probably because Ohno wasn’t a brat like him. _

_ Well, what he really hoped to see was Jun becomes frustrated that he wasn’t by his side. Sadly, the frustration was there, but not for the reason he was hoping for. _

_ “What’s wrong?” Asked Nino. He caught Ohno staring at him instead of eating. Ohno shrugged it off. _

_ “Aiba chan, I appreciate you were worried that I will be alone. But, please think of my sanity too. People keep looking at me strangely. They cannot see you so they thought I am crazy,” said Ohno in a low voice so that other people won’t hear him. _

_ “Ne….” Said Nino. Something was bothering him. “Do you think we will remember the time we spend as spirits once we woke up?” _

_ “I don’t know,” answered Aiba. _

_ Nino glanced at Ohno, wondering how Ohno would feel if Nino didn’t remember him once he wakes up. Perhaps that was the reason he didn’t want to wake up yet. He was afraid that he would forget Ohno. _

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_ “Riida~~~”  _

_ Nino sing-song as he entered the living room but Ohno wasn’t there. He wasn’t in the kitchen nor the toilet. Aiba wasn’t in the house as well. Looking at the time, he must be in the hospital, watching Sho who always visiting him at this time. Maybe Ohno followed him to the hospital.  _

_ Nino sighed, wondering what he should do while waiting for his friends to get home until his eyes caught something. It was Ohno’s favourite sketchbook under the pillow. Ohno must be in a hurry. That’s why he didn’t hide the book properly. Ohno had been protective of the book ever since Nino found the drawing of him as the princess. He knew Ohno was drawing something new because he was always alone with his sketchbook right now. Interested to see the new drawing, he took the book from the hiding place. _

_ “Riida, can I look at your new drawing?”  _

_ “Yes, you may,” he imitated the way Ohno would answer before laughing at himself for making fun of Ohno. _

_ Nino pretended to ask for permission to ease the guilt he felt for doing this. He just wanted to see the latest drawing. Ohno had been so secretive and it made him curious. He flipped the pages. He had seen most of the drawing because he was with Ohno when he drew them. He smiled, remembering the happy memory they shared. When he saw the drawing of him as a princess, he was excited to think that the next drawing should be Prince Jun. Ohno told him that he had finished the drawing but he hasn’t shown the drawing yet. That must be what he had been working on all these times. He didn’t want Nino to see the drawing before it was complete. That would explain why he was so protective of his sketchbook. Ah, whatever, Ohno was going to show him the drawing later so there’s nothing wrong to see it now.  _

_ “Eh?” Nino was surprised to see the drawing. It wasn’t a prince but a knight. And the face… It wasn’t Jun, but Ohno himself. He didn’t think much of the drawing, Ohno had the freedom to draw whatever he wanted. He turned to the next page and was even more surprised to see the next drawing. _

_ Ohno drew the princess and the knight together in a wedding ceremony. On the top of the drawing was fancy handwriting of ‘Satoshi Kazunari Forever’. Eh? What does this mean? Does Ohno like him?  _

_ Eh? Is that even possible? But why? Why would Ohno like him?  _

_ “Kazu…”  _

_ Nino was surprised to hear the voice and instantly, he threw the sketchbook away without thinking. _

_ “I see…” Ohno collected the sketchbook that was on the floor. “… The idea of us together… You must be thinking it was disgusting,”  _

_ Eh? Nino didn’t like the tone of Ohno’s voice as he said that. He didn’t throw the book because he hates the idea of being with Ohno. He was… Surprised to be caught in the act. Ohno got it all wrong. He wants to be with Ohno. That’s why he didn’t want to wake up. He was afraid he will forget Ohno and their adventure together. He didn’t want Ohno to be alone. _

_ Ohno pulled him to stand in front of him. He could see tears on Ohno’s face as they stared at each other. He wanted to wipe the tears and explained to Ohno how he really felt but before he could do anything, Ohno hugged him tightly. _

_ “Allow me to hug you for the last time. You should wake up so that you would forget about me,” _

_ No no. He didn’t want to wake up. Not yet. No, this wasn’t something that Ohno can decide. He is going to stay here no matter what Ohno said. He wondered why he froze on the spot that he cannot deny or do anything. _

_ “I will pray for your happiness with Jun,” _

_ He didn’t love Jun. He loves Ohno. _

_ “It doesn’t matter if I confess right? You would forget once you wake up,” _

_ No, he’s not going to wake up. Why didn’t Ohno give him any chance to explain himself? _

_ “I love you, Kazu,” _

_ Ohno let him go and slowly lifted his face before kissing his lips slowly. He wanted to respond to the kiss but his head… It was too painful… Did something happen to his real body that caused him to be in pain right now?  _

  
  
  
  
  


_ He opened his eyes and looked at his surrounding. _

_ He was in the hospital. But why?  _

_ Oh, yes! He was in an accident.  _

_ Strangely, why, instead of his body, there was so much pain in his heart? It feels like… he had lost someone important. _

  
  
  


_ Ohno was disappointed. Even though he knew it was impossible, for a second, he truly hoped Nino would deny everything he said and stay with him.  _

_ But... Nino didn’t do anything. He was too stubborn to wake up before. But, once he knew about Ohno’s feeling for him, he didn’t hesitate to leave him. He didn’t even respond to the kiss. Instead, he left Ohno without even saying goodbye. _

  
  
  
  
  


Ohno stared at the unconscious Nino on the bed. He was surprised when Nino called him Riida and confessed to him. Did Nino finally remember him? Did he mean it when he said he loves Ohno?

Ohno wanted to ask a lot of questions to Nino. However, before he could do so, Nino kissed him and then collapsed. He wondered why  _ something  _ always happened after their kiss. Their first kiss… When Nino was still a spirit… He disappears after Ohno kissed him. Then, Ohno received a phone call from Sho who thanked him for convincing Nino to wake up from the coma. However, he has no memory of being a spirit or staying together with Ohno. When Ohno heard that, he remembered feeling bitter about that. Who would guess that to make Nino leave the spirits world was to make him feel disgusted that a weirdo like Ohno loves him.

When he whining about it to Aiba, his friend told him a  _ myth  _ about the spirits and the person who can see them. He made it sounds like Nino left against his own will because of what Ohno did to him. At first, Ohno doubted it. However, when Sho and Jun told him how Nino often called for  _ Riida _ when he was sleeping, he sort of  _ believes _ Aiba.

“Rii… Da….” He jolted in surprise when Nino suddenly talked even though he was still unconscious. But, a few seconds later, he opened his eyes slowly. He blinked for a few times and then tried to sit on the bed.

“Ouch,”

“Are you okay? Do you need anything, Kazu?”

“I’m okay… I felt dizzy just now but it’s okay,”

Ohno just nodded his head. He didn’t know what to say. Did Nino remember anything that happened before he fainted? Should he talk about the kiss and the confession? But what if Nino didn’t remember any of that? Should he call him Ninomiya san or Kazu? Nino didn’t say anything when Ohno called him Kazu just now. But, perhaps it’s because he was too dizzy to notice it. 

“Ninomiya san, do you remember me?” He decided to go for the safer option. It will be too much to explain if he acted over-familiar with Nino if Nino didn’t recognize him.

Nino stared at him for a few seconds before answering.

“Ohno Satoshi. You worked for me as a design artist,” Ohno’s heart was broken to hear that. Nino didn’t remember him as Riida anymore. So, it means he didn’t remember the confession nor the kiss. “Where am I? What am I doing here?”

Nino looked around the house. He seems confused to be here.

“Ah… Hmmm… I met you at the store. We talked and you don’t feel well. So, I brought you here to rest,” answered Ohno. That’s the best lie that he could think of.

“Really? Or… Did you bring me here because of something else?” Nino narrowed his eyes.

“No… No… I don’t have that kind of intention,”

Nino laughed in return.

“It’s okay. I know you are not like that. I just want to tease you,” said Nino. “It’s late. I better get home,”

“I will call Sho to get you,”

Ohno was about to stand up to get his phone on the table. However, Nino was quick to stop him as he kissed him passionately. It caught him by surprise so he didn’t know how to react. Should he respond? Thinking that it was Nino who initiated the kiss, he slowly leaned closer to Nino to kiss him back.

They finally let go of each other after a few minutes. Thankfully, nothing happened to Nino after the kiss this time. Two red spots appeared on Nino’s face and Ohno swore, this is the most adorable Nino he had ever seen. Nino scooted a bit and then pointed at the spot beside him, asking him to sit next to him. When he sat down, Nino pushed him to lie on the bed before positioning himself to lie on top of Ohno.

“Didn’t I tell you… If you didn’t call me Kazu, I will kiss you,”

Eh? Ohno frowned to hear that? What does that mean?

“I didn’t count properly. But I think, you called me Ninomiya san about 10 times. So, you owe me 10 kisses,”

Ohno shook his head. He didn’t think he called Nino as Ninomiya san that much. He didn’t think it was more than 5.

“Really? I thought it was less than 5,” he mumbled only to be kissed once again by Nino.

“That is for doubting me,” said Nino. Ohno smiled to be kissed like that.

“Do you remember everything?” Asked Ohno. “Including the time you spend as a spirit when you were in a coma?”

“Eh? I met you when I was in a coma? How?” Asked Nino, smiling teasingly at Ohno.

“Kazu, stop teasing me,”

Nino laughed at him.

“Yup. I remember everything. Including the drawing of us together. I am angry at you. You didn’t even give me the chance to explain. I admit that I want to stay as a spirit at first because I don’t want to get back to my injured body. Like I said before, once my physical body is ready, I will get back. But, I met you and we made a lot of memories together. I am afraid that I will forget you if I wake up,”

“But I thought you were waiting for Jun to kiss you. Do you remember the talk we had in the restaurant? When you said Aiba chan is waiting for Sho to kiss him?”

“Ahhhh… That’s why you were staring at me,”

“Hmmm… That’s why I drew you as a princess,”

“Do you know why I get back my memory as spirits? I don’t think it was possible,”

Ohno thought of the myth Aiba told him about. Is it really because of the myth?

“Aiba told me about a myth. People like me were called the mediator. He said that to wake someone from a coma, the mediator can kiss the spirits. If there is no romantic feeling between those two, the spirits won’t remember anything. But, if there is, the person who wakes up from the coma would have a glimpse of his time as the spirits. To get all the memories back, the person has to kiss the same mediator again,”

“He always listens to stupid rumours,” complained Nino. “But I think the myth might be true. Since the first time we met, I keep on thinking about you and why am I so attracted to you. I’m glad that I finally remember everything. Well, enough talk, I need to collect your debt,”

Nino was about to kiss him once again when his phone rang. He groaned as he looked at the caller ID and told Ohno it was Jun. He rejected the call.

“Now, let’s get back to business,”

  
  
  
  
  


“Nino, do you want to meet Matsujun’s new assistant?” Asked Sho. Nino shook his head. Jun had told him he needs a new assistant and Nino allowed him to hire one. He gave Jun full freedom to choose whoever he thought was suitable to work with him.

“It’s okay. I trust J to hire the best person,”

“But. He’s already here,”

“So, send him away. I thought I’ve told you. I only allowed you, J and Satoshi upstairs,” said Nino, not lifting his head from the computer.

“You should add Aiba in the list!” Nino blinked his eyes when he heard the familiar voice. He turned to the source but before he could be sure it was really who he thought he was, someone ran towards him and hugged him.

“I miss you so much, Nino!” Said the happy ball of sunshine who was hugging him. “I couldn’t say goodbye to you because of Riida. But, it’s okay. I’m back. I’m so happy to know you are together with Riida,”

“Eh?” Nino couldn’t say anything as the sunshine keeps on talking non-stop. He saw Jun and Ohno entered his room and begged for them to separate him from the sunshine. He wanted to push the sunshine away but the other guy was far stronger than him.

“That’s enough, Aiba chan. You are suffocating him,” He was thankful when Sho took the initiative to separate them. He turned to see his attacker. It was Aiba Masaki, his friend in the spirits world.

“J… Is this the best candidate you have for your assistant?” Asked Nino. Aiba pouted in return.

“How could you, Nino? I get the job fair and square,”

“Really? You don’t use Sho to get the job?”

“I don’t even know he applied for the job,” Sho defended Aiba. “But… I don’t know if he used any  kind of magic on Jun,”

“Hey hey. Don’t doubt my judgement, okay” said Jun.

“Okay enough about that,” said Nino, putting a stop on the story of how Aiba get the job. Aiba might be clumsy but Nino knew he was a determined person. He believes Aiba would do well in his job. Furthermore, he had a lot of weird ideas in his head so he believes that Jun would  _ love  _ all his ideas. However, Nino had one concern.

“You remember us? I thought we will forget everything about spirits once we woke up,”

“Before I wake up, I decided to help people like us. Maybe that’s why I still remember everything about my time as spirits,”

“Wait...” said Sho. “Do you mean, you can see spirits like Ohno san?”

“Yup. There is one of them behind you,” said Aiba, pointing behind Sho. “He had been following you for quite some time,”

“Uso!” Said Sho in panic as he turned to look behind him.

“Am I, Riida?” Aiba turned to look at Ohno.

“I wonder. I’ve been trying to approach him but he always disappears before I can say anything. I think he is one of the stubborn spirits like you guys,” answered Ohno. Nino and Jun laughed looking at Sho. He didn’t know if Ohno and Aiba were bluffing but he enjoyed looking at Sho’s scared face.

“Ah, whatever. I don’t believe you. I’m going to do my work instead of being the subject of your prank,” said Sho as he moved towards the door.

“Ah, he followed you,” said Aiba, following Sho out of the office.

“Is there a spirit behind Sho?” Nino asked Ohno. But, Ohno shrugged him off. He wondered how the other employees would think of Aiba if they see him talking to himself. Ohno had been trying to act subtly with those spirits but he was still thought as a weirdo. How about Aiba? He didn’t think Aiba would learn to speak in a low voice with the spirits so hmmmm…. Let’s see what would happen.

“I will leave you two lovebirds to enjoy your time,” said Jun leaving him alone with Ohno.

“So… Want to go for brunch?” Asked Nino. Ohno shook his head.

“As much as I love spending time with you, I shouldn’t take advantage of my position as the president’s boyfriend and be lazy in doing my job. Jun sent me here to discuss with you about my design,” Said Ohno, giving him a small USB. He inserted the USB in his pc.

“Hmmm… Okay. Whatever you say. Ne… Satoshi,” said Nino as Ohno clicked one of the files.

“Yes,” answered Ohno without looking at him. So, he lifted Ohno’s face to look at him properly.

“I love you, Satoshi,” he said with a blush on his face. Ohno smiled at him.

“I love you too, Kazu,” answered Ohno, giving him one of the best kisses they ever shared.


End file.
